Dear Editor,
When I was reading about the history of Thanksgiving the first thing I learned was that it is a day to celebrate everything we are grateful for. Thanksgiving was established over 400 years ago when Martin Frobisher, an English explorer, arrived in the far north of Canada in what is now Nunavut. His crew wanted to give thanks to God for their safe arrival after a long, difficult voyage.
This story drew my attention to our trip from war-torn Syria to Canada, and our first Thanksgiving in our new home. It reminded me of how many Canadians helped us to make this trip happen.
This Thanksgiving we want to express our gratitude to God for the many blessings we have. The most recent blessing in our lives are the honest and helpful people we are surrounded by in Jasper.
We congratulate the new arrival of the second Syrian family to Jasper and both our families would like to dedicate this special day to the people of Jasper who helped us escape the horrible war in Syria and find safety in Canada. Despite all the hard times we have been through in our country, it was still difficult to leave our lives and our roots and start all over again on a far-away continent, with a different culture, different traditions and a different lifestyle. Jasperites helped make our move as easy as possible.
They treated us kindly and generously so we did not feel like strangers. They involved us in their activities and celebrations. Lots of people volunteered with open hearts to teach us and to help us find jobs. They have supported us in so many ways since our arrival, and they continue to support us.
This small, generous community is a new family for us. They deserve all the happiness in the world, and we look forward to the day that we too become Canadian citizens.
Lots of love and appreciation goes to Nancy Addison, the true hero behind this story. Her support and hard work helped to bring us here. She believes in the law of Karma, that you get what you give, whether it鈥檚 bad or good, and we hope that all the good will continue to be reflected in her life.
Much appreciation to Suha Saleh, Gail Millard, the Diocese鈥檚 refugee coordinator, the Anglican Diocese of Edmonton, the Anglican Church in Jasper, the Tower family, Ismaeil, Hamdi, Neilson, Marsh, Wall, Mills, Hilmi families, and to so many others who can鈥檛 all be named here. Because of your efforts we are here now, and we thank all of you.
Your new Syrian brothers and sisters,
Reham Al Azem, Hassan Al Azem,
Omayea El Marrawi, Omar Al Homosh,
Rola Al Dakhil
